


Shooting Stars and Silver Moons

by romanticallyinept



Series: what's a family but a name? [2]
Category: The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: Alpha Diego Hargreeves, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Angst, Ben Hargreeves is Alive, Canon-Typical Violence, Canonical Child Abuse, FWUCollections, Ghosts, Good Brother Ben Hargreeves, I am trying to write updates but my brain won't cooperate, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Kinktober 2019, Knotting, M/M, Mating Bond, Morning Sickness, Mpreg, Omega Klaus Hargreeves, On Hiatus, Pseudo-Incest, Rating May Change, Reginald Hargreeves' A+ Parenting, Running Away, Sibling Incest, Stuttering Diego Hargreeves, Unplanned Pregnancy, no beta we die like men, they're 17/18 in this fic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-30
Updated: 2019-10-23
Packaged: 2020-11-07 22:18:23
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,222
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20824715
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/romanticallyinept/pseuds/romanticallyinept
Summary: *ON HIATUS*Ben was quiet for a moment, long enough that Klaus thought he’d left. Which, really, wasn’t like Ben. He was only a dick if someone was a dick to him first, and Klaus felt like puking his guts out was a not-at-all dickish reason for him to be a little short.But then Ben spoke again, and. Well.“Morning sickness?”Ben walked off to train, and Klaus’ world tilted, just a little.Kinktober 2019 fill for:4. Praise Kink | Body Swap | Aphrodisiacs |Incest10. Hair-Pulling | Wax Play | Micro/Macro |Soul Bonds30. Fucking Machine |Alpha/Beta/Omega| Oral Fixation | Biting





	1. Chapter 1

“Klaus.”

The sound of his name had Klaus screwing his eyes shut and trying to burrow farther down into the blankets surrounding him. Speaking meant it was morning, and morning meant training, and training meant Diego would be gone from their room for hours while Klaus sat there and twiddled his thumbs and alternated between being grateful he was all but ignored now and being fucking _irritated_ that he was all but ignored now.

He made a sound, something halfway between a groan and a whine, and buried his face in his pillow. “No,” he said. “No, DiDi, come on. Don’t go. It’s nice and warm and it’s too _early_, come on.”

He felt more than heard Diego chuckle, warm breath ghosting over the back of his neck. His brother was still wrapped around him, their legs tangled together beneath the blankets, one of Diego’s thick, strong arms thrown around his waist. Like this, Klaus felt safe. Half of that was the bond singing between them, the happy hormones their brains released just from being close to each other. But half of it was just… Diego. His brother, his mate, the only family he had left that didn’t pretend he didn’t exist.

Klaus felt guilty for the thought almost immediately. It wasn’t entirely true. Mom still talked to him, still patted down his wayward curls when he walked by. And Ben hadn’t changed - much. And he’d only changed in good ways. He was _family_, like Diego was family, save for the bonded part. 

(Ben had hugged Klaus goodnight, once, after he presented, and Sir had seen. He’d barely managed to inhale before Diego was there, fucking growling, stepping in front of Klaus and Ben in a way that left absolutely no doubt. They were Diego’s, the both of them, their own little family unit separated from everyone else.)

Sir didn’t ignore Ben after that, didn’t stop his training sessions, but he did stop sending him out on missions, like that was some sort of punishment. Like Ben wanted to unleash the Horror ever, on anyone. 

“‘m sorry,” Diego murmured, pulling Klaus out of his reverie. His voice was soft, quiet, and it twisted up in Klaus’ chest, bringing up a feeling that tasted a whole lot like guilt.

“How many more days?”

Klaus felt Diego turn to look at the calendar pinned up on the wall. “Eighty-seven,” he answered, and the guilt Klaus felt morphed into resignation. 

Eighty-seven days. Eighty-seven days until they were adults, until they could up and leave and start over out in the real world. Eighty-seven days until Klaus wouldn’t have to worry about running into Sir in a hallway, wouldn’t have to swallow back the faint tinge of panic that flared whenever he saw Luther. 

Diego’s lips pressed to Klaus’ shoulder, right over the scar of the bonding mark. The mark itself didn’t have much sensation, as scars are wont to do, but feeling Diego’s lips on his skin still sent a pleasant shiver down Klaus’ spine. He squirmed, pressing himself closer to his brother. “Don’t start anything,” he grumbled. “I know you’re not gonna blow off training to blow _me_.”

Diego’s laugh shook the bed, and that was almost enough to make up for the fact that, a moment later, he pulled away from Klaus and got up. He wouldn’t miss training, not because he wanted to make Sir happy, or because he wanted to beat Luther - both of those motivations had fallen by the wayside. Now Diego trained so he would have a skillset to use to provide for Klaus and Ben after they left. 

Klaus understood, but he didn’t like it. 

His body really didn’t like it. As soon as Diego pulled away, Klaus felt nausea curling in his belly. He groaned, shoving his face further into the pillow. He knew that being separated this early in the bond would be uncomfortable - he just hadn’t expected his insides to go on strike from fucking working. And the fact that Diego wasn’t plagued by the urge to puke when they were apart just made matters worse. Klaus believed in equality, dammit, and that included equality in the horrible things too.

A hand gently pressed against his shoulder, and Klaus sighed before letting himself be rolled onto his back. It was worth the way his stomach turned, though, because Diego was standing over him, smiling that soft, private smile that only Klaus got. “Go back to sleep,” he said. “I’ll bring up breakfast later?”

Klaus made a grumbling sound, but he nodded, because agreeing would get him a kiss. And it did. Diego leaned down, brushing a chaste kiss over Klaus’ lips, just barely a tease of what Klaus wanted but couldn’t have because of _training_. It wasn’t fair.

“It’s not fair,” he said, but Diego just ruffled his hair before tucking the blankets in around him.

And then he left.

Klaus didn’t count the seconds, but it barely felt like a minute passed before his stomach roiled with enough intention that he shot up, kicking back the blankets as he stumbled out of bed. He all but collapsed next to it, fumbling around blindly under the bed until his fingers latched onto the edge of the tupperware he’d hidden just for this reason.

His stomach lurched, and then bile forced its way out of his throat. That was all there was, because he hadn’t even had a chance to eat yet, and it fucking _hurt_, burning up his throat and his nose and honestly, fuck Diego. This was his damn fault.

“Uh, Klaus?”

That was Ben’s voice, coming from the doorway. Klaus held up a hand, waving in his general direction. “Busy puking,” he said, grimacing as he dry-heaved. “Talk later?”

Ben was quiet for a moment, long enough that Klaus thought he’d left. Which, really, wasn’t like Ben. He was only a dick if someone was a dick to him first, and Klaus felt like puking his guts out was a not-at-all dickish reason for him to be a little short.

But then Ben spoke again, and. Well.

“Morning sickness?”

Ben walked off to train, and Klaus’ world tilted, just a little.

* * *

It shouldn’t have been that hard to get a pregnancy test, but. _But_.

Logically, Allison was the only one of them who would have any. And _that_ was assuming that 1) between her and Luther, she was the one that bottomed, and 2) if she did bottom, that she was stupid enough to do it without protection.

Those slim chances didn’t pan out. 

He didn’t even bother searching Vanya’s room, after that. He was optimistic, not an idiot. 

Diego could drive into town, _would_ drive into town if Klaus asked, but Klaus didn’t want to ask. Asking his mate, his Alpha, would make it real. And worse, asking him might get his hopes up for something Klaus wasn’t even sure about. No, it was better to keep it under wraps, until he was sure, one way or another.

So, really, there was only one person he could ask for help.

“Hey, uh, remember what you said this morning?”

Ben looked up from his seat at the table, half of a banana in his hand. He had his hood pulled up over his head, and he was curled in on himself the way he did when the Horror was being extra… well, horrible. But instead of looking back down, or getting up and leaving the room, Ben just sighed, kicking the seat next to him until it scooted back from the table enough for Klaus to slide into it.

“What did I say this morning?”

Klaus reached up, one hand rubbing over his mating mark self-consciously. “This morning,” he repeated. “You know. When I was in my and Diego’s room? And I was…”

Ben twitched his nose. “Yeah, yeah. Let’s not relive the details.” He paused, and then he frowned at Klaus, his eyebrows knitting together. “Wait. Are you…?”

“I don’t know!” Klaus hissed. “I don’t… I don’t know.”

“Oh.”

_Oh_ might have been the understatement of the century, but Klaus didn’t mention it. Instead, he just took a deep breath, trying to steady himself. “I need to know,” he said, after a moment. “I mean, like, I’ll tell Diego as soon as I do know, one way or the other, but I just… he’ll _worry_, and then he’ll get all noble, like ‘we’ll get through this Klaus, don’t worry,’ and I don’t know if I can make it through one of those speeches without crying and/or throwing up again.”

With a grimace, Ben set his half-eaten banana down on the table. “Fine,” he said, already moving to stand. “Fine. I’ll go. But you definitely owe me one.”

Something in Klaus’ chest loosened as relief flooded his system. “Thank you, thank you, thank you! I love you, dude. Seriously, you’re the best.”

Ben made another face, something that looked a little pained, waving his hand in Klaus’ direction. “Sure, whatever. I’ll be back soon.”

* * *

An hour later, Klaus held a generic white and blue box in his hand. Unopened. Because his hands were trembling and he couldn’t find the fine motor control to tear off the top and get the actual test out. He wanted to blame the ghost in the corner of the bathroom for his sudden shaky spell, but she was there more often than not, her broken neck making her head hang at an odd angle. 

She never spoke, but she watched with wide, listless eyes trained on his every move. The others knew she was there, too - Klaus had made sure to talk about her loud and often, and as a result, the bathroom was always empty, always private. 

The ghost was easy to blame for Klaus’ inability to fucking function, but it wasn’t the truth. He was scared, sure, but not of her (the others, in the mausoleum, those were a different story, but the bathroom ghost had never screamed at him, never reached for him with clammy, opaque hands, never muttered about the things she’d do if she had her body again). 

“Fuck it.” He tore the top of the box off with his teeth, snagging the folded up instructions inside and spreading the paper out on the counter. _99% accuracy!_ the first page boasted, followed by all the things that would make it less accurate in fine print. Klaus skipped over those, skimming until he found the instructions on the next page.

_Remove the cap from the test. Make sure not to touch the absorbent test strip._

Okay, easy enough. Biting his lip, Klaus took the stick in his hand, pulling the cap off carefully. The whole thing looked innocuous, like it wasn’t about to tell him whether he had life growing inside him or not. Christ. He could have a baby, Diego’s baby, forming inside him, and this was the test that would tell him.

_Place the absorbent tip directly into the urine stream for 7-10 seconds._

Fumbling with one hand, Klaus popped the button on his pants. And he was glad no one was there with him, because it took him longer than was reasonable to relax enough to actually get the sample the test needed. 

_Replace the cap. Place the test on a flat, clean, horizontal surface, and wait five minutes for the test to finish processing._

The test clattered against the counter as Klaus set it down, his hands back to being shaky and unsure. He made himself turn away, flush the toilet, and wash his hands, keeping his eyes decidedly _not_ fixed on the test while he waited. Five minutes. It was the longest five minutes of Klaus’ life, and he spent every second of it listening to his heart beat faster, feeling an unyielding tension coiling in his gut. 

After he split his lip in a third place from biting it, he thought _good enough_, and grabbed the test. 

Two bright pink lines stared up at him.

And, behind him, the ghost started to laugh.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back with the boys, now. Prepare yourself for angst and feels, guys. Title from Troye Sivan’s “for him.”
> 
> Here's the [poll](https://forms.gle/vopwgZEVGzHHeniw9) for my next fic!


	2. Chapter 2

Before the fiasco that was his presentation, Klaus had never thought about kids. They’d been an abstract possibility, of course, but not something he’d thought about at length. Kids were a ‘one day’ thing: one day, when he wasn’t wearing a domino mask on the good days and crying in a crypt on the bad ones. 

After he presented… well. It had been a thought. A brief one, usually, when Diego was knotted inside him, rutting his hips gently into Klaus’ oversensitive body. A brief thought of _oh, yeah, that could happen_, followed closely by doubt that it would ever. After all, they all had messed-up biology in one way or another. Who was to say it was even a possibility?

He should have fucking gone on the pill. He should have remembered that they’d all been born under unlucky fucking stars. 

Klaus hid the pregnancy test in the bottom of the trash can in the bathroom that no one used, and then spent the next fifteen minutes kneeling over the toilet, listening to the ghost cackle maniacally while he spit up bile into the bowl. She stayed in the corner, and she still didn’t make a move for him, but the laughter was grating on Klaus’ already frayed nerves. 

When he could manage it, he pushed himself up to stand on shaky legs, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. The ghost shrieked, her head lolling to the side in a broken, floppy way that made Klaus’ stomach lurch again, and dammit, this was going to be a long pregnancy if he emptied the contents of his stomach every time he saw a broken neck. 

With one arm wrapped protectively around his stomach, he stumbled out of the bathroom. He just needed to find Diego. Diego would make it better. Diego would wrap him up in blankets and lay him down and tell him that it was going to be all right, and as much as he’d complained about Diego’s nobility earlier, that was all he wanted. 

He actually ached with how much he wanted Diego. He could feel his absence like he was missing a limb, like there was a part of him that had been cut off and taken away. With a frown, Klaus tried reaching out through their bond, but Diego was either shutting him out or was too far away to be reached. It felt… wrong. It felt like taking a step down and expecting the floor but just finding air, but the feeling didn’t bleed away or disappear, because instead of hitting a step _eventually_, Klaus just found… nothing.

“Ah, Number Four. Are you well?”

Klaus’ stomach hurt in an entirely different way at the sound of that voice. He stopped in his tracks, torn between the desire to bolt down the hallway and the urge to just keep his head down and take whatever Reginald wanted to dish out with a nod and the subservience expected of him. The latter won out, only because running sounded damn near impossible at the moment.

“Fine, Sir,” he bit out. He let himself lean against the wall, hoping that the older man was just passing through. He didn’t know where Diego was - hell, he didn’t know if Diego was even in the house anymore. And with the fuzziness of their bond, he couldn’t reach out, couldn’t call for help. Klaus was alone, with Reginald.

The man put his hands in his pockets, taking a few, measured steps toward Klaus. “I see Number Two has managed to make you heel,” he observed, and his voice felt like a physical presence in the air, coating Klaus’ skin in dirt and slime. “Fascinating. Who knew that, all this time, all you needed was a knot to keep you in line.”

Klaus grit his teeth together, ignoring the pain that flared in his jaw. “Yes, Sir,” he said, keeping his eyes firmly fixed on the floor. Omegas were non-confrontational. Pliant. Obedient. And while he could play the part well enough, could hunch his shoulders and duck his head and make his voice soft and sweet, the act rubbed him wrong. Omega he might be, but he was nobody’s bitch. Especially Reginald’s. 

The older man made a thoughtful noise, and Klaus felt eyes on him, making him shift uncomfortably. “Perhaps your training will be more effective now,” Reginald said, his tone absently curious. “Number Two has always been rather eager to please. I’m sure he wouldn’t want his Omega to be anything but cooperative, now would he?”

Klaus knew Diego wouldn’t do that, but still, he felt tears welling in his eyes, felt his throat constricting, just at the thought of having to resume his training. Of Diego forcing him to go back to the mausoleum, in an attempt to make Reginald happy. “No, Sir,” he murmured, hating how his voice cracked around the words. Fuck. Where was Diego?

“Hmm.” Reginald took another step forward, and then his hand was on Klaus’ chin, lifting it so he could meet Klaus’ eyes. “That’s what I thought. Unfortunately, Number Two is out on a mission, so I suppose we’ll have to start without him, now won’t we?”

“Yes, Sir.”

Reginald hummed, dropping his hand from Klaus’ face. “You’re much easier to work with like this, Number Four,” he said. “You will meet me outside in fifteen minutes, is that understood?”

Klaus struggled for a breath through the panic that was rising in his throat. Reginald couldn’t… he wouldn’t make him, not when Diego was gone. Would he? Klaus wasn’t his. He was Diego’s. They were bonded, so Reginald couldn’t just…

“Number Four. Is that understood?”

“Yes, Sir,” Klaus bit out. “I… I’ll meet you outside in fifteen minutes, Sir.”

Reginald smiled, cold and calculating. “Good boy,” he said, and the words made the gorge rise in Klaus’ throat. 

Reginald turned and walked away, and Klaus waited until his footsteps had faded into silence before he dashed back to the bathroom. The she-ghost let out a shrill wail as soon as he crossed the threshold, but Klaus just closed the door behind himself, heart thudding in his chest as adrenaline flooded his system.

He wasn’t going back to the mausoleum. He wasn’t going to let Reginald get anywhere near him again, wasn’t going to let him get anywhere near the life that was growing inside him. Fuck knew what the bastard would do when he found out Klaus was pregnant - but there was no way in hell Klaus was going to let any child of his become “Number Eight.”

* * *

It took Klaus all of four minutes to stuff some clothes into a bag, and then another four minutes to blink back the tears enough to scribble out a note to Diego. He didn’t know where he was going to go, so he couldn’t put that in the note. He didn’t even know when Diego was going to get back to see it. He hoped his brother wouldn’t be upset, but Klaus couldn’t wait eighty-seven days for them to become adults. 

He hoped Diego wouldn’t insist on waiting himself.

No one was in the kitchen when he snuck down. And it was just his luck that the cupboards were mostly bare - they were just on the verge of needing to get groceries, but there were three slices of bread in a bag, two (slightly) bruised apples, and six of Mom’ blueberry muffins leftover from the morning’s breakfast. Klaus took everything, stuffing it into his backpack, and he didn’t feel damn guilty about any of it. 

Ducking outside, he pulled the hood of his jacket up over his head. It was really Diego’s, far too baggy on his thin frame, but the scent was comforting and it was warm, and it would disguise his own scent, at least for a little while. Being an Omega alone on the street wasn’t… safe, exactly, but it would be better when Diego came after him. 

Hunching his shoulders against the wind, Klaus really, really hoped that Diego would come after him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I usually don't write anything that's not rated E, so we'll see how this goes. There's a lot more feelings popping up than I originally thought there would be. 
> 
> Send me your love, guys. Comments, kudos, and bookmarks make me happy. Feed the starving writer.
> 
> And vote in their [poll](https://forms.gle/vopwgZEVGzHHeniw9) for the next fic in the queue!


	3. Chapter 3

Diego tore off the domino mask, shoving it into his pocket as he walked up the steps to the front door. The others trailed behind him. Five clutched a broken wrist against his chest, but he didn’t make a sound. None of them did. It was always hard to speak in the aftermath of a mission, when they could still taste blood in their mouths and hear strangled sounds echoing around in their heads. Even after Ben stopped going out with them, per Reginald’s orders, they were still required to finish the job.

That task had fallen to Ben, before. Now it fell to Diego.

He had been supposed to return to Klaus hours ago, with breakfast and the promise of the rest of the day in bed. But it was almost three o’clock in the afternoon, and Diego didn’t even want to think about eating before he’d had a long hot shower. He took the stairs two at a time to get up to their room, shouldering the door open as he walked inside. 

“Hey,” he started, but Klaus wasn’t in the room. That was… odd. His brother didn’t really like wandering the house anymore, not after Luther made it clear that Klaus’ willingness wasn’t something he was concerned with, not after Reginald decided that, since Klaus was an Omega, he was useless to the team. Mostly, Klaus stayed in their room, in their bed, curled up in a nest of Diego’s sweatshirts and pillows he’d stolen from around the house a long time ago. The nest was still there, but Klaus wasn’t. 

Leaning back into the hallway, Diego looked around. The door to the haunted bathroom was open, and the light was turned off - Klaus wasn’t there, either. Frowning, Diego stepped into the room, walking over to the bed and laying his hand down in the middle of Klaus’ spot. It was cold, like Klaus hadn’t been there for hours.

“I don’t think he’s here.”

Diego spun on his heel, barely resisting the urge to bare his teeth at Ben. He was tense, high-strung, and normally Ben wouldn’t pose much of a threat to his instincts, but there was something. Something was wrong. He pointed a finger at Ben, unable to help the way his lip curled up into a snarl when he spoke. “Where is he?”

Ben shrugged. He had his hands in his pockets, and he was projecting cool indifference, like the fact that Diego was all but growling at him didn’t even matter. “I don’t know,” he said, and his voice was calm too. Diego relaxed a fraction of an inch. “I saw him, earlier. He had me run into town to get him something.”

Diego tried not to feel hurt at the fact that Klaus, his Klaus, his mate, had asked someone else for help. He’d been gone. Klaus would have gone to Diego if that had been an option. He always did, even for stupid thing like lip gloss or gummy bears. 

“What was it?”

Ben looked up, biting his lip. “Don’t freak out,” he said, and when Diego scoffed, Ben’s expression hardened. “No, I’m serious. Don’t freak out. I don’t want to deal with you if you’re going to be a knothead about it, okay?”

That was… fair. Diego sighed, nodding. “I won’t freak out,” he promised, but even as he said it, he felt anxiety building in his chest. Ben was worried, and that never boded well.

“He asked for a pregnancy test,” Ben said. “I got it for him, but I couldn’t stick around. Training,” he said, with a displeased quirk of his mouth, and, yeah, Diego could see the stains of ink on his skin from where he hadn’t had the chance to clean up yet. “I was looking for him, but he’s not in your room, and he’s not grabbing food, so…”

So.

Diego closed his eyes, forcing himself to take a deep breath. He’d promised Ben he wasn’t going to freak out. The Beta didn’t deserve that, anyway. It wasn’t his fault Klaus was missing. Diego was the one who was responsible for him, who was supposed to be taking care of him. And where had Diego been? Out playing hero, saving strangers during some bank heist while his mate needed help.

“D-do you know if… if he’s… y-y-you…”

Ben smiled, sad and gentle, and the expression was far too old for him. “I don’t know,” he said. “But he was throwing up this morning, and it kind of looked like he was ready for it. Like it had been happening pretty regularly. It could just be a stomach bug, but…”

Diego wasn’t sure if he wanted it to be a stomach bug or not, and that thought was fucking terrifying. In a different way, the thought that Klaus had been hiding this was almost scarier. He’d been keeping it from Diego, like he hadn’t wanted him to know. 

“We ha-ha-have to f-find him,” he said, pushing that thought from his mind. That could all be resolved later, after he was sure that Klaus was somewhere safe. 

If Ben minded being dragged into the new mission, he didn’t complain. But before Diego could shoulder past him out into the hallway, Ben stopped him with a hand on his shoulder. Diego flinched, but Ben didn’t, keeping his hand pressed firmly into the uniform jacket. 

“You’re not going anywhere looking like that,” he said. “It’s not going to do Klaus any good if you get arrested the second you’re out in public because you look like you’re a spree killer.”

Diego winced, his throat tightening, but there was no edge to his brother’s voice. He wasn’t passing judgement on what Diego had done on the mission. He was just… being Ben. Being right. Diego sighed, a little more tension slipping out of his posture. “Ok-kay,” he mumbled, hating out his voice refused to come out even. “Shower, first. A-a-and then…”

“And then we’ll go find our brother,” Ben said.

* * *

Klaus had a plan.

It was a shaky plan, albeit. And it was based entirely on a business card he’d found stuffed into the pocket of Diego’s jacket, but it was more than he’d started out with.

He knew the name on the business card, because Diego had mentioned Al before. He was sure how that relationship had formed, exactly, although he suspected that Diego’s fighting ability had something to do with it. Whatever the reasons, Al was a known quantity, someone Diego thought would help them out if they needed it after they were out in the world on their own. And, given that Klaus was out in the world on his own, going to Al seemed like a safe bet. 

He had to stop and ask for directions four times, and one of those involved skirting out of the way of an Alpha who seemed a little too interested in the fact that Klaus was out by himself. The excuse he’d made up had sounded fake, even to his own ears - _It’s leg day and my Alpha is waiting for me at the gym!_ \- but the man had let him go, even if Klaus felt the weight of his stare until he rounded the next corner.

By the time he got to the gym, his fingers were numb and his ears ached from the cold. He just wanted to curl up and lay down, perhaps for the rest of the day, but the mats covering the concrete floor didn’t look all that comfortable. It was particularly warm inside the gym, either, but it was more comfortable than the outside, the movement of bodies and the rough cadences of the boxers’ voices settling the part of Klaus that really didn’t want to be alone.

The smell, though… Klaus wrinkled his nose at it. All he could smell were Alpha pheromones, heavy in the air, and his body decidedly did not like that, especially since Diego’s scent was already fading from the jacket he was wearing. But Klaus had a plan, and if that plan so happened to involve walking into a veritable lion’s den of Alphas, well… that was the plan.

“You waiting for someone, kid?”

Klaus startled, looking up as one of the boxers, a pretty Latina in a tank top and sweatpants, spoke to him. She was watching him with a slightly amused expression, a pair of boxing gloves hanging from the crook of her arm as her fingers worked on the straps covering her hands. He didn’t remember her being so close. He wrapped the jacket around himself tighter, taking half a step back, unable to corral the suspicious look that bled across his features.

But instead of taking offense, the woman just laughed good-naturedly. She took her own half-step back, too, and Klaus was surprised at how much that little space between them made him relax. “I get it,” she said. “It can get a little overwhelming in here sometimes.”

Klaus’ suspicious frown deepened a little, and it took him a long moment to figure out what the woman meant. But then, under the haze of _Alpha_ that seemed to permeate the entire room, Klaus smelled something else, something just a little softer.

“Oh,” he said. “You’re…”

“Patch,” the woman, the _Omega_, said, sticking out her hand. “It’s a lot to get used to, I know. But if you’re waiting for someone, I can go track them down.”

Klaus shook his head. “I… no, thank you,” he said, quickly, because the offer was kind. “I’m um… I’m actually looking for Al?”

Patch raised an eyebrow, but she didn’t comment. “Sure,” she said, jerking her head in the direction of a door on the far side of the room. “That’s his office. Everything okay?”

Klaus plastered a smile on his face, one that he was sure was about as convincing as it felt. “Perfect,” he said. “Thanks. That’s super helpful.”

The woman gave him another look, like she wasn’t quite sure about leaving Klaus to his own devices, but eventually she shrugged. “Sure, kid. See you around.”

Patch headed back towards the mats, and, with a deep breath, Klaus headed towards the door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact: I wasn't planning on including Al or Patch in this story at all, but. Here they are. Gotta love that creative process.
> 
> Don't forget the [poll](https://forms.gle/9vkkp6ZyLrcYi9U89) for my next fic!


	4. Chapter 4

Ben showed him the note, after they showered. 

Diego skimmed through it once, barely taking in the words. There was nothing about where Klaus had gone, nothing about where they could find him - Diego was tempted just to throw the piece of paper aside because it was fucking _useless_, but he made himself take a breath and read through it again.

_I can’t stay here. I’m sorry._  
_Please come find me._

“Diego,” Ben said. “Not to state the obvious, but your Alpha freakout mode isn’t really what we need right now.”

“He’s _gone_,” Diego snapped. “He’s gone, and he could be anywhere. How the fuck are we supposed to find him?”

“Di…”

“And he’s alone! Any Alpha he runs into is going to see that he’s alone, and that the bond mark is new…”

“Diego, I…”

“And be might be fucking pregnant! Hormones do shit to your brain. What if he’s not making the best decisions? Ah, fuck, it’s Klaus. Of course he’s not making the best decisions. He could be…”

_Diego_!”

The Alpha snapped his mouth shut, turning to look at Ben. The other boy looked pained, pale in the face, and his arms were wrapped around his stomach like he was experiencing the worst stomach ache in… oh.

“Shit,” Diego breathed. If he looked hard enough, he could see Ben’s stomach moving under his shirt, the Horror roiling and twisting around his organs. The sight alone was disturbing - Diego could hardly imagine what it felt like, but going by Ben’s expression, it was somewhere between terrible and fucking awful.

Diego bit back the urge to turn and run. He could handle humans, handle the awful things that the people they fought did, but the Horror was something else entirely. It was an animal, a monster - even Ben didn’t understand it, not completely.

“Hey,” Diego murmured, making sure his voice was soft and calm and even. “Easy, hey, you’re okay.” He took a hesitant step forward, and when tentacles didn’t immediately burst forth from Ben’s stomach, he took another, carefully walking up to his brother until he could reach out and wrap his fingers around Ben’s arm where it was pressed tightly to his stomach. “You’re okay,” the Alpha repeated, and then, more quietly, “I’m sorry.”

Ben sucked in a breath of air that sounded something like a chuckle. He nodded, swallowed, and looked down at where Diego was touching him. Diego followed his gaze, half-expecting to see a black tentacle slithering out and over their arms, but the Horror was nowhere to be seen. It wasn’t even churning in Ben’s belly anymore, not that Diego could see, anyway.

“Good?” Diego asked, after a moment.

“Good,” Ben answered. He nodded, as if to confirm. “I didn’t… I just…”

“Hey, I know.” Diego let the corner of his mouth curl up into an almost-smile. “We’re both worried about him. Doesn’t give me an excuse to yell at you, though. We’re family. I get to look out for you, too.”

Ben opened his mouth, probably to protest, but Diego just shook his head. “Come on,” he said. “Let’s head into town. Klaus is probably already grifting on some poker game.”

* * *

“You must be Diego’s brother.”

Klaus wasn’t surprised the gym’s owner recognized him. Reginald insisted they wear the domino masks when they were on missions (or had, at least, when Klaus had still been going on them), but the thin pieces of fabric had done little to protect their identities. But the identification as _brother_ had him shrugging his shoulders, trying to lift the jacket enough to hide the bond-mark on his neck. Mating a family member wasn’t exactly commonplace, and Klaus had enough on his plate without having to deal with poorly-veiled condescension, too.

Klaus opened his mouth to answer, but Al just held up a hand, shaking his head. “I don’t want to know,” he said. “You’re underage. I should call this in.”

A cold, helpless feeling settled in the pit of Klaus’ stomach, but if the Beta noticed, he didn’t act like it. “I should call this in,” he repeated. “Aw, hell, don’t look at me like that. I’m not going to. Your brother’s told me enough horror stories that I wouldn’t ever sleep again from the guilt.” Al frowned. “Speaking of, where is Mr. Short, Dark, and Stabby?”

The giggle that bubbled over from Klaus’ throat was entirely unintentional, and from the look Al gave him, Klaus guess that it probably sounded a little hysterical too. He couldn’t help it. He felt like he was on an emotional rollercoaster that showed absolutely no signs of stopping, and it was _worse_ because he was alone and couldn’t lean into Diego’s comforting warmth like he wanted to.

“Aw, kid, don’t cry.”

Klaus sniffed, reaching up to touch his face. He was crying, apparently, because his fingers came away wet. That was a great first impression to make, breaking down into tears in a stranger’s office just because his Alpha wasn’t in touching distance. It was stupid, and six months ago, Klaus would have laughed at the idea that he could ever feel a need like that, so deep inside that it eclipsed everything else. 

Al made a jingling sound as he got to his feet, his keys swinging against his leg. Frantically, Klaus scrubbed at the tears on his face. He could talk his way out of being thrown out, but he couldn’t do that when his breath was hitching with sobs. 

“I don’t…” he started, but then Al put a gentle hand on his shoulder, and Klaus’ throat seized up. 

“Come on,” the Beta said. “Your brother got things set up with me already. You’re just a few months early, that’s all.”

Klaus had no idea what Al was talking about, but he nodded, following as the older man led him out of the office. He was _tired_, and Al seemed like he knew what he was doing, and if Diego trusted him, that had to be enough. 

Al led him to the back of the gym, opening a door with a key from his belt. Behind it was a staircase that had definitely seen better days, but Al took the first step without hesitation, so Klaus followed. 

There was another door at the bottom of the staircase, and there was just enough light for Klaus to make out the words “BOILER ROOM” on the front of it. When Al unlocked the door, Klaus hesitated. Sure, he was desperate for a place to stay, and desperate to be somewhere that Diego might know to look for him, but this was… sketchy, to say the least. 

But Al seemed to sense his apprehension, because he lifted his keyring, twisting the key he’d used on both doors off before holding it out to Klaus. “Here,” he said. “Go get some rest, kid. I’ll see if I can get in touch with your brother, okay?”

This time, Klaus waited until he heard Al’s footsteps fading away up the staircase to break down into tears.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay on this update! My brain got carried away with a new fandom, and that's all I've been able to write this month. I should be back to (somewhat) regular updates now.
> 
> \-----> [poll](https://forms.gle/p2rsfGUQUvR1TrcF9).


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